Persistent hiccups during rehabilitation hospitalization: three case reports and review of the literature.

Abstract

Persistent hiccups have been reported to occur occasionally during rehabilitation hospitalizations. Hiccups can interfere with patient participation and progress, and this can lengthen and complicate the rehabilitation hospitalization. Chlorpromazine, the only Food and Drug Administration-approved agent specifically indicated for hiccups, is often chosen as a first-line treatment. However, chlorpromazine does not always provide favorable results. The intent of this paper is to (1) review hiccups and implications of persistent hiccups in the rehabilitation setting, (2) provide additional evidence that chlorpromazine is often not the best treatment choice for hiccups in rehabilitative patients, (3) report the effectiveness and favorable tolerability of modest doses of gabapentin in a small case series of three patients, and (4) review potentially effective treatment approaches for hiccups.